The Hague - The Party for Freedom and Democracy VVD (conservative-liberals, member of the present government coalition) today for the first time took a position in favour of an experiment with ’regulated cannabis cultivation’ in the second chamber of the Dutch parliament. This creates a parliamentary majority in favour of such an experiment, as became apparent in a committee meeting with the ministers Donner (Justice) and Remkes (interior).

Another member of the government coalition, ’Democrats ’66’ (progressive-liberals) and two opposition parties, the ’Labour party’ and the ’Greens’, had already in an earlier stage spoken out in favour of such an experiment, of which the precise terms of reference are not yet clear. The two ministers remain opposed to such a project, also because they are of the opinion, that it is legally impossible. Labour intends to present a detailed blueprint for an experiment before the end of the year. According to Mrs Albayrak, a prominent Labour frontbencher, the experiment could be held in the Maastricht area and Belgium and Germany could also get involved.

The Burgomaster of the southern bordertown Maastricht, Gerd Leers, is one of those who earlier this year spoke out in favour of regulating cannabis cultivation in order to take the drugs trade out of the criminal sphere. In the Netherlands the sale of softdrugs is allowed in coffeeshops under a number of strict conditions, but so far coffeeshops can not obtain their merchandise through ’legal’ channels.